Re: svp notes

[Josh Smith <smithjb@sas.upenn.edu>]

christian farrell kammerer wrote:

> For some reason or another, reports on SVP this year sure are trickling
> out slowly...leaving those of us unfortunate enough to miss it still
> wondering with baited breath about such questions as what is the
> biogeographic significance of the basal neoceratopsians? What is the
> importance of new Gobi embryos?, How strong is the support for a
> Nipponosaurus+Hypacrosaurus clade? New sauropods from across the
> world...any skulls? Are Saurornithoides and Paronychodon valid taxa? How
> complete are the new dinosaurs in the Fukui Prefectural Museum? Is
> consensus on Stegosaurian plates any closer to being reached?  Are
> Chubutisaurus scales similar to those of the titanosaur embryos? How much
> new Coelurus and Stokesaurus material is there? If it's a big SA theropod
> and its not an abelisaur or carcharodontosaur, what is it? How huge could
> sebecosuchians get? Does "haplocanthosaurid" necessarily mean H. priscus?
> What is the new Gobi avialan, and what makes Oviraptor philoceratops
> Oviraptor philoceratops? Who DID dig that big tunnel? Shansiodont
> monophyly rent asunder--does anyone else care? Wasn't Conan IV
> titled "Claw of The Mantis"? These and many other questions remain
> undiscussed...would any SVP attendees care to comment on any or all of
> these goings-on?
>
> -Christian Kammerer

No skull from the Egyptian sauropod that we know of (certainly no
articulated skull).  However, there may be cranial material hidden within
some jackets as the entire beast hasn't been fully prepared yet.  I cannot
really say more than that right now as I am under serious restrictions as to
what information can go out.  Thus, I am going to pull a Tom Holtz and say
wait for the paper...

-Josh
--
Josh Smith
Department of Earth and Environmental Science
University of Pennsylvania
471 Hayden Hall
240 South 33rd Street
Philadelphia, PA  19104-6316
(215) 898-5630 (Office)
(215) 898-0964 (FAX)